diff --git a/web/cashtab/src/utils/__tests__/cashMethods.test.js b/web/cashtab/src/utils/__tests__/cashMethods.test.js
--- a/web/cashtab/src/utils/__tests__/cashMethods.test.js
+++ b/web/cashtab/src/utils/__tests__/cashMethods.test.js
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@
     parseChronikTx,
     checkWalletForTokenInfo,
     isActiveWebsocket,
+    generateOpReturnScript,
 } from 'utils/cashMethods';
 import { currency } from 'components/Common/Ticker';
 import {
@@ -172,6 +173,131 @@
     disconnectedWebsocketAlpha,
     unsubscribedWebsocket,
 } from '../__mocks__/chronikWs';
+import BCHJS from '@psf/bch-js'; // TODO: should be removed when external lib not needed anymore
+
+it('generateOpReturnScript() correctly generates an encrypted message script', () => {
+    const BCH = new BCHJS();
+    const optionalOpReturnMsg = 'testing generateOpReturnScript()';
+    const encryptionFlag = true;
+    const airdropFlag = false;
+    const airdropTokenId = null;
+    const mockEncryptedEj =
+        '04688f9907fe3c7c0b78a73c4ab4f75e15e7e2b79641add519617086126fe6f6b1405a14eed48e90c9c8c0fc77f0f36984a78173e76ce51f0a44af94b59e9da703c9ff82758cfdb9cc46437d662423400fb731d3bfc1df0599279356ca261213fbb40d398c041e1bac966afed1b404581ab1bcfcde1fa039d53b7c7b70e8edf26d64bea9fbeed24cc80909796e6af5863707fa021f2a2ebaa2fe894904702be19d';
+
+    const encodedScript = generateOpReturnScript(
+        BCH,
+        optionalOpReturnMsg,
+        encryptionFlag,
+        airdropFlag,
+        airdropTokenId,
+        mockEncryptedEj,
+    );
+    expect(encodedScript.toString('hex').slice(0, 12)).toBe('6a0465746162');
+});
+
+it('generateOpReturnScript() correctly generates an un-encrypted non-airdrop message script', () => {
+    const BCH = new BCHJS();
+    const optionalOpReturnMsg = 'testing generateOpReturnScript()';
+    const encryptionFlag = false;
+    const airdropFlag = false;
+
+    const encodedScript = generateOpReturnScript(
+        BCH,
+        optionalOpReturnMsg,
+        encryptionFlag,
+        airdropFlag,
+    );
+    expect(encodedScript.toString('hex')).toBe(
+        '6a04007461622074657374696e672067656e65726174654f7052657475726e5363726970742829',
+    );
+});
+
+it('generateOpReturnScript() correctly generates an un-encrypted airdrop message script', () => {
+    const BCH = new BCHJS();
+    const optionalOpReturnMsg = 'testing generateOpReturnScript()';
+    const encryptionFlag = false;
+    const airdropFlag = true;
+    const airdropTokenId =
+        '1c6c9c64d70b285befe733f175d0f384538576876bd280b10587df81279d3f5e';
+
+    const encodedScript = generateOpReturnScript(
+        BCH,
+        optionalOpReturnMsg,
+        encryptionFlag,
+        airdropFlag,
+        airdropTokenId,
+    );
+    expect(encodedScript.toString('hex')).toBe(
+        '6a0464726f70201c6c9c64d70b285befe733f175d0f384538576876bd280b10587df81279d3f5e04007461622074657374696e672067656e65726174654f7052657475726e5363726970742829',
+    );
+});
+
+it('generateOpReturnScript() correctly generates an un-encrypted airdrop with no message script', () => {
+    const BCH = new BCHJS();
+    const optionalOpReturnMsg = null;
+    const encryptionFlag = false;
+    const airdropFlag = true;
+    const airdropTokenId =
+        '1c6c9c64d70b285befe733f175d0f384538576876bd280b10587df81279d3f5e';
+
+    const encodedScript = generateOpReturnScript(
+        BCH,
+        optionalOpReturnMsg,
+        encryptionFlag,
+        airdropFlag,
+        airdropTokenId,
+    );
+    expect(encodedScript.toString('hex')).toBe(
+        '6a0464726f70201c6c9c64d70b285befe733f175d0f384538576876bd280b10587df81279d3f5e0400746162',
+    );
+});
+
+it('generateOpReturnScript() correctly throws an error on an invalid encryption input', () => {
+    const BCH = new BCHJS();
+    const optionalOpReturnMsg = null;
+    const encryptionFlag = true;
+    const airdropFlag = false;
+    const airdropTokenId = null;
+    const mockEncryptedEj = null; // invalid given encryptionFlag is true
+    let thrownError;
+
+    try {
+        generateOpReturnScript(
+            BCH,
+            optionalOpReturnMsg,
+            encryptionFlag,
+            airdropFlag,
+            airdropTokenId,
+            mockEncryptedEj,
+        );
+    } catch (err) {
+        thrownError = err;
+    }
+    expect(thrownError.message).toStrictEqual('Invalid OP RETURN script input');
+});
+
+it('generateOpReturnScript() correctly throws an error on an invalid airdrop input', () => {
+    const BCH = new BCHJS();
+    const optionalOpReturnMsg = null;
+    const encryptionFlag = false;
+    const airdropFlag = true;
+    const airdropTokenId = null; // invalid given airdropFlag is true
+
+    let thrownError;
+
+    try {
+        generateOpReturnScript(
+            BCH,
+            optionalOpReturnMsg,
+            encryptionFlag,
+            airdropFlag,
+            airdropTokenId,
+        );
+    } catch (err) {
+        thrownError = err;
+    }
+    expect(thrownError.message).toStrictEqual('Invalid OP RETURN script input');
+});
 
 describe('Correctly executes cash utility functions', () => {
     it(`Correctly converts smallest base unit to smallest decimal for cashDecimals = 2`, () => {
diff --git a/web/cashtab/src/utils/cashMethods.js b/web/cashtab/src/utils/cashMethods.js
--- a/web/cashtab/src/utils/cashMethods.js
+++ b/web/cashtab/src/utils/cashMethods.js
@@ -8,6 +8,80 @@
 import BigNumber from 'bignumber.js';
 import cashaddr from 'ecashaddrjs';
 
+/*
+ * Generates an OP_RETURN script to reflect the various send XEC permutations
+ * involving messaging, encryption, eToken IDs and airdrop flags.
+ *
+ * Returns the final encoded script object
+ */
+export const generateOpReturnScript = (
+    BCH,
+    optionalOpReturnMsg,
+    encryptionFlag,
+    airdropFlag,
+    airdropTokenId,
+    encryptedEj,
+) => {
+    // encrypted mesage is mandatory when encryptionFlag is true
+    // airdrop token id is mandatory when airdropFlag is true
+    if (
+        !BCH ||
+        (encryptionFlag && !encryptedEj) ||
+        (airdropFlag && !airdropTokenId)
+    ) {
+        throw new Error('Invalid OP RETURN script input');
+    }
+
+    let script = [BCH.Script.opcodes.OP_RETURN]; // initialize script with the OP_RETURN op code (6a)
+    try {
+        if (encryptionFlag) {
+            // if the user has opted to encrypt this message
+
+            // add the encrypted cashtab messaging prefix and encrypted msg to script
+            script.push(
+                Buffer.from(
+                    currency.opReturn.appPrefixesHex.cashtabEncrypted,
+                    'hex',
+                ), // 65746162
+            );
+
+            // add the encrypted message to script
+            script.push(Buffer.from(encryptedEj));
+        } else {
+            // this is an un-encrypted message
+
+            if (airdropFlag) {
+                // if this was routed from the airdrop component
+                // add the airdrop prefix to script
+                script.push(
+                    Buffer.from(
+                        currency.opReturn.appPrefixesHex.airdrop,
+                        'hex',
+                    ), // drop
+                );
+                // add the airdrop token ID to script
+                script.push(Buffer.from(airdropTokenId, 'hex'));
+            }
+
+            // add the cashtab prefix to script
+            script.push(
+                Buffer.from(currency.opReturn.appPrefixesHex.cashtab, 'hex'), // 00746162
+            );
+
+            // add the un-encrypted message to script if supplied
+            if (optionalOpReturnMsg) {
+                script.push(Buffer.from(optionalOpReturnMsg));
+            }
+        }
+    } catch (err) {
+        console.log('Error in generateOpReturnScript(): ' + err);
+        throw err;
+    }
+
+    const data = BCH.Script.encode(script);
+    return data;
+};
+
 export function parseOpReturn(hexStr) {
     if (
         !hexStr ||